e Ox
together, and said, 'Three, O Three, I'm very sorry for you (with the
world so new-and-all); but that Humph-thing in the Desert can't work, or
he would have been here by now, so I am going to leave him alone, and
you must work double-time to make up for it.'

That made the Three very angry (with the world so new-and-all), and
they held a palaver, and an _indaba_, and a _punchayet_, and a pow-wow
on the edge of the Desert; and the Camel came chewing milkweed _most_
'scruciating idle, and laughed at them. Then he said 'Humph!' and went
away again.

Presently there came along the Djinn in charge of All Deserts, rolling
in a cloud of dust (Djinns always travel that way because it is Magic),
and he stopped to palaver and pow-pow with the Three.

'Djinn of All Deserts,' said the Horse, '_is_ it right for any one to be
idle, with the world so new-and-all?'

'Certainly not,' said the Djinn.

'Well,' said the Horse, 'there's a thing in the middle of your Howling
Desert (and he's a Howler himself) with a long neck and long legs, and
he hasn't done a stroke of work since Monday morning. He won't trot.'

'Whew!' said the Djinn, whistling, 'that's my Camel, for all the gold in
Arabia! What does he say about it?'

'He says "Humph!"' said the Dog; 'and he won't fetch and carry.'

'Does he say anything else?'

[Illustration: THIS is the picture of the Djinn making the beginnings
of the Magic that brought the Humph to the Camel. First he drew a line
in the air with his finger, and it became solid; and then he made a
cloud, and then he made an egg--you can see them both at the bottom of
the picture--and then there was a magic pumpkin that turned into a big
white flame. Then the Djinn took his magic fan and fanned that flame
till the flame turned into a magic by itself. It was a good Magic and a
very kind Magic really, though it had to give the Camel a Humph because
the Camel was lazy. The Djinn in charge of All Deserts was one of the
nicest of the Djinns, so he would never do anything really unkind.]

[Illustration]

'Only "Humph!"; and he won't plough,' said the Ox.

'Very good,' said the Djinn. 'I'll humph him if you will kindly wait a
minute.'

The Djinn rolled himself up in his dust-cloak, and took a bearing across
the desert, and found the Camel most 'scruciatingly idle, looking at his
own reflection in a pool of water.

'My long and bubbling friend,' said the Djinn, 'what's this I hear of
your doing no work,